A Roof Over Our Heads

"Do you want a ride?" my friend asked.
"Of course! Why do you think I'm hanging here in your window?" I'd obstructed the flow of traffic to walk out in the street and chat with one of the other moms who was there to drop children off at school.
She shook her head and made a grand gesture with her hand, her hand that was in a brace due to her recent flare-up of carpal tunnel syndrome. "You need no excuse to hang in my window."
I laughed and bounced into the passenger-side seat of her mini-van. "My husband is done with school for the semester," I announced happily, "So I'm sending him off to get the oil changed today, and the roofers are here!" I recalled that last fact with great satisfaction. "I remember right after we first bought the house I was so angry when I realized we needed a new roof. I thought we'd never save up enough money to do it, but now here we are, four years later."
"You are amazing," my friend said.
"Amazing in what way?"
"That you pay cash for things!"
"I would never finance a new roof," I said, surprised that this was so amazing. "Not unless it was an emergency, the water pouring in . . ." I used my fingers to illustrate water dripping, then dropped my hands in my lap, "Actually, the water was pouring in. I just bought a can of roof patch, fifteen dollars at Lowe's, and went up there and slopped it on." That had held it for four years.
"Amazing."
What amazes me is that anyone would find this amazing. I'm a Mormon with a minor in mathematics. I don't drink, smoke, gamble, or borrow money---except for our home mortgage. Not that borrowing money is always evil, but if I had car payments and credit card payments, how would I feed my five children?